Master of Business Administration
The Division of Business and Information Technologies offers a 33-credit hour Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree through the Johnson County and Online campuses. Our MBA is an applied program that seeks to develop graduates who are effective leaders and managers, whose actions are guided by ethical decision-making.
Program Outcomes
Upon completion of the MBA program, graduates will be able to:
- Analyze business issues and form practical responses to these issues.
- Assess the impact of global influences on business decisions.
- Formulate ethical approaches to business decisions and understand how to apply these within a business context.
- Create coherent forms of communication and present them orally and in written form to diverse professional audiences.
Admission Requirements
- Completed application with a $25.00 application fee.
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and a minimum GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.00 scale). GPA in previous graduate level work, if applicable, will be considered as well.
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate work. The undergraduate transcript must show the date the degree was conferred and the GPA for all degree-related coursework.
- Admission on probationary status may be approved by the Director of Graduate Business Programs.
- To be eligible for admission, students will be required to write an essay to the Director of Graduate Business Programs explaining any special circumstances associated with prior GPA and how their current situation is different or has changed. The letter must also include a detailed success plan outlining goals for successful completion of coursework. The letter will be evaluated as part of the application process.
- Students admitted on probation to the MBA program will be removed from probationary status after successful completion (earning a "B" or higher) of their first two classes.
Transfer Credits
Up to 9 graduate hours (three courses) may be transferred to the program, provided the courses are substantially equivalent to Saint Mary graduate MBA courses. If students wish to receive transfer credit, they may be asked to submit syllabi for those courses. The Director of Graduate Business Programs will determine equivalency of courses, and the University reserves the right to deny course transfers if they are not equivalent. Credit hours for MGT 714 Global Management and MGT 795 Strategic Management and Ethics will not be transferred into the program. Requests for transfer credit are subject to the requirements described under the academic policies of the graduate division (see Transfer of Credit Guidelines in the graduate section of this catalog).
Program Structure and Sequence
- The MBA curriculum is sequenced in such a manner as to allow program completion in 12 to 24 months, depending on the pace that the student takes classes. Courses are taught on a year-round 8-week basis with a six-term schedule: Fall I, Fall II, Spring I, Spring II, Summer I, Summer II.
- Two courses in the MBA program, MGT 714 Global Management and MGT 795 Strategic Management and Ethics, are summative courses. Students who earn a grade lower than "B" in either of these courses must repeat them.
Registration Policies
- Students intending to finish the MBA program in one year by taking two courses per 8-week term may not be able to do so depending on course availability.
- Students may not be enrolled in more than two classes per 8-week term.
Prerequisites
- For students without an undergraduate background in business, up to three online courses in writing, economics, and statistics will be made available after the student has been admitted and accepted into the MBA program if the student feels the need for further development in these areas. The online leveling courses are self-paced and are strongly recommended before the student registers for classes.
- Students will not be permitted to waive course prerequisites.
Graduate Internship
Students may choose to take a 3-credit hour internship course if they so desire (see MGT 799 Graduate Internship). Students will be required to work 150 site hours in a substantive business position, meaning that the faculty advisor must believe that this job will give the students the opportunity to learn important business skills and apply their knowledge in a real-world context. Enrollment in the internship course requires students to be in good standing with the University and receive approval from the Division Chair of the Division of Business and Information Technologies. At that time, students will be assigned a full-time business faculty member who will work with them throughout the internship and will register final grades. The internship class will require students to develop an internship portfolio including a resume, weekly logs of their activities, and a reflection paper. The cooperating employer will also be required to fill out paperwork on students' performance, which also comprises a percentage of the final grade.
Incomplete Grades
Incomplete grades are granted only in highly exceptional circumstances. Incomplete grades are only issued to students in consultation with the Director of Graduate Business Programs and approval by the Division Chair. Students who are working to satisfy an incomplete grade in a class will not be allowed to register for other courses until the incomplete course is resolved and the final grade is recorded.
Academic Probation and Graduation
The Graduate Catalog states that a "student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation by the graduate program." In the MBA program, students must graduate with a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students who have not maintained a 3.00 by the time all coursework is completed must retake one or more courses where a "C" grade was earned. Students must then earn a "B" or higher in order to attain a 3.00 cumulative GPA.
Dismissals, Appeals, and Readmission
Students who have left or been dismissed from the MBA program and seek readmission will be required to complete a new application. Students must also provide any new transcripts if they have taken additional courses from other universities in the interim.
Students who are dismissed and would like to appeal for readmission must submit a letter to the Chair of the Division of Business and Information Technologies explaining the circumstances of their departure, a justification for readmission, and a plan to complete the degree in a timely manner. The application, letter, and transcripts will be evaluated to determine eligibility for readmission.
Students who are reinstated will not be permitted to take two classes simultaneously until they have passed the course(s) that were previously failed.
Curriculum
The Master of Business Administration requires a total of 33 credit hours and consists of eight required core courses and three elective courses. All courses are three credits, unless otherwise specified.
Core Courses (24 crs):
| MGT 704 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| MGT 707 | Organizational and Human Resource Management | 3 |
| MGT 709 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| MGT 710 | Legal Environment and Commercial Transactions Law | 3 |
| MGT 711 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| MGT 712 | Managerial Finance | 3 |
| MGT 714 | Global Management | 3 |
| MGT 795 | Strategic Management and Ethics | 3 |
Concentrations
Students earn a concentration by taking nine elective credit hours (three classes within a specific area). The program offers the following areas of concentration: Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, General Management, Healthcare Management, Human Resource Management, Leadership and Organizational Health, Marketing and Advertising Management.
Accounting Concentration (On campus students only):
| MGT 785 | Forensic Accounting | 3 |
| MGT 786 | International Accounting | 3 |
| MGT 789 | Data Analytics for Decision Making - Finance and Accounting | 3 |
Triple Advantage Accountancy:
In addition to the above Accounting concentration courses, students who complete the MBA courses in Legal Environment and Commercial Transactions Law, Managerial Economics, Managerial Accounting and Managerial Finance, may take the following courses and qualify to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination providing they have accumulated 150 total credit hours of college (undergraduate or graduate) coursework. Thirty (30) of these hours must be in Accounting Theory and Practice and eleven (11) must be in Communications.
MGT 787:- Exam sections: Regulation [REG] and Auditing and Attestation [AUD]
MGT 788:- Exam sections: Business Environment and Concepts [BEC] and Financial Accounting and Reporting [FAR]
Business Analytics Concentration:
| MGT 715 | Introduction to Business Analytics | 3 |
| MGT 716 | Business Analytics Applications | 3 |
| MGT 717 | Demand and Forecasting | 3 |
Finance Concentration:
| MGT 763 | Investment Analysis and Planning for Businesses and Individuals | 3 |
| MGT 773 | Capital Structuring, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurial Finance | 3 |
| MGT 783 | Advanced Topics in Corporate and Personal Financial Management | 3 |
General Management Concentration:
Choose three of the following: (consult your advisor for eligible course options from other concentrations)
Healthcare Management Concentration:
| HCMGT 720 | Healthcare Informatics and Technologies | 3 |
| HCMGT 721 | Leadership and Business Operations in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCMGT 722 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare | 3 |
Human Resource Management Concentration:
| MGT 753 | Conflict Management and Negotiation | 3 |
| MGT 757 | Training and Development | 3 |
| MGT 774 | Organizational Change and Development | 3 |
Leadership and Organizational Health Concentration (Online students only):
The following courses must be taken in sequence:
| MGT 780 | Leadership and Organizational Health | 3 |
| MGT 781 | Strategic Leadership and Team Building | 3 |
| MGT 782 | Strategic Communication and Human Performance Services | 3 |
Marketing and Advertising Management Concentration:
The following courses must be taken in sequence:
| MGT 747 | The Advertising Industry in the 21st Century | 3 |
| MGT 748 | Buyer Behavior and Marketing Research | 3 |
| MGT 749 | Advanced Marketing Strategy and Planning | 3 |